By histotainer and humorist Charles Phoenix

Phoenix was inspired by an early 1960s water-transfer decal that he found on the side window of a Volkswagen bus in a Marina Del Rey parking lot after a hearty breakfast several years ago. “The intoxicating Day-Glo color palate, perky pixilation, and sensible screened graphics are as fresh today as they will be fifty years from now,” he says.

By environmental artist Gerg MacLaurin

MacLaurin envisions a Los Angeles magazine that is a hybrid of hand-crafted printing and e-paper. “Touching the top icons accesses your neural selectors and shares the topical article instantly,” he explains of the design. “Sliding your finger between icons gradates your choice and modifies the content. But it's still compelling to hold an old fashioned magazine. As you flip the inside pages, you can savor the quaint unique paper art, which is meticulously copied and crafted by our team of skilled bots.”

By Alan Leib, Regina O’Brien and Chris Green for ModCom
 
This cover, created on behalf of the Modern Committee of the Los Angeles Conservancy (ModCom)—the organization credited with preserving the oldest original McDonald’s in Downey and the Capitol Records building in Hollywood, among others—by former ModCom chair Alan Leib, chair Regina O’Brien, and membership chair/graphic artist Chris Green, is “an attempt to examine the issues preservationists of the architectural ‘recent past’ will be dealing with in 2061.”  Dodger Stadium appears “under threat of redevelopment,” the fate of gas stations as we know them is up in the air, and Justin Bieber might be mayor.

By LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

“When we at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Los Angeles’s new Mexican American cultural center, began thinking about what Los Angeles will be like in 2061,” says Katie Dunham, noting that 2061 will mark LA Plaza’s own 50th anniversary, “We knew one thing: Los Angeles will continue to evolve in surprising ways, but always retain its strong Latino community and heart.”

By photographer Jen Rosenstein and musician Skyler Stonestreet

The designers teamed up with illustrator/art director Brandon Spiegel to create an image reflecting a “blend of fashion with movement of the human body.” With a nod to Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man," the cover features a woman in motion. 

By themed environment designer Troy Zimmermann

According to Zimmermann, this cover builds upon the theme “de-evolution.” To reinforce the main headline, "Cloning Paradise: Exporting Lifestyle as Commodity" Zimmerman wallpapered the background in palm trees. In his 2061, "stagnation chic has officially replaced regression chic" and San Pedro is the new civic center. 

By Los Angeles magazine Future Cover Contest winner Lauren Blair

Inspired by the Hollywood sign, Blair titled her cover “HollywoodISland.” She imagines flying taxis (“better public trans!”), wild dolphins, and Oprah “with an even bigger presence than she has now.” “I also wanted to play off of things that [are trendy] now (i.e. bacon, food trucks, whiskey, hiking) and make them seem strangely retro in the future,” she says. “Remember when we ate bacon-wrapped grilled cheese out of ground mobiles on wheels?”